YAOUNDE - Trade ministers are nearing agreement on a reform roadmap for the World Trade Organization (WTO), even as tensions persist over extending the moratorium on customs duties for digital transmissions.
Talks in Cameroon focus on bridging分歧 between the US and India. The moratorium, in place since 1998, is viewed as a litmus test for the WTO’s relevance after a year of tariff-driven turmoil and geopolitical disruptions.
A revised reform draft outlines timelines and key challenges, including decision-making inefficiencies in the consensus-based system and special trade benefits for developing nations. The US and EU seek to update rules they claim China has exploited.
India continues to block plurilateral agreements, arguing they undermine WTO principles.
Diplomats indicate potential compromise: a four-year moratorium extension, with India open to two years and the US pushing for permanency. A new e-commerce draft includes provisions for revenue concerns of developing members and future review.
Business leaders warn that lapsing duties threaten market stability and US backing for the WTO.
“If the moratorium fails, the US may abandon the WTO,” said one senior diplomat.